Secrets of the Fallen
by The Assassin of Xion
Summary: The enemies of this world have a purpose. Some want power, others vengeance, But some are out for blood. When Crane is left crippled, The secrets of the past are unearthed. As China plunges into its darkest hour, The friendship of the five combined with a long-lost friend will save not only Crane, but all of China. (disclaimer: I do not own kung fu panda.)
1. Sacrifice

**Hey guys, this is my first Fanfic so please be kind! I am open to constructive criticism and pointers from other authors. Master Crane is my favorite of the Kung Fu Panda franchise because I feel he matches my personality. Please Review and enjoy the story! **

**THANK YOU**

Master Crane looked around. He wasn't quite sure what he had just done, but he knew something wasn't right. On the ground and couldn't move, the avian felt as if he was paralyzed. Was it something physical or mental? He saw his friends screaming as they franticly rushed to his side. But even as loud as they were, the avian could only hear silence. The rest of the five seemed like distant shadows that were only becoming more vague. The only thing that he could clearly see, was tigress.

She was kneeling over the avian, disbelief and sorrow in her eyes. Crane had never seen this much emotion in the tiger before, so it scared him to know the cause of it. He looked down. Crane could not bring himself to look at those eyes any longer. All that the avian could see now, was the large pool of blood forming all around him. The world was moving slowly, and the Fear of death and sorrow overwhelmed him. Tigress was gone now. She had become one of the distant shadows like the rest of the five. The land was darkening, his friends becoming ever dimmer. But the skies grew ever brighter and beckoned for his coming. But he was going to fight back. He was going to fight back the darkness that was overcoming him. He had never felt so confident in this, but he had never been so afraid.

**15 minutes earlier…**

"If my calculations are correct, then the bandits should be upon the Tóugǔ pass soon." estimated mantis. "Good." Replied tigress "We can use the heavy brush to cover our attack." The Tiger turned to face her allies. "Alright everyone, here's how this is going to go down.

"Mantis, I want you and monkey to create a diversion to stop the convey from moving any further." The duo smiled at each other and nodded affirmatively. "Viper, I want you to help me retrieve the thunder stones." "If we're lucky we might be able to get out of this one without a fight". "Crane, I need you to scout from above." If something goes wrong I want you to strike from the sky and provide us with cover". "Po, I need you to… well, just find a way not to compromise us this time." He nodded in embarrassment. The last time he had nearly gotten them killed by a group of rouge wolves when he decided to use "stealth mode". He had to admit it was not one of his strongest "modes".

"If this goes correctly, and we can acquire the stones without a fight, then we will meet here". Tigress pointed to a small village located southeast on their map. "If things go bad, just regroup where we are now. Does everyone understand?" The five nodded agreeably and took their positions upon the path.

"Monkey, mantis, I'm going to signal you with three flashes when you are to create the diversion." Tigress said "Fine with me, we have a few tricks up our sleeves." Monkey chuckled. The tiger than looked at Crane. "in three minutes I want you to report back to me and provide the information we need about the convoy." "Can do." The avian replied before taking flight.

Crane soared over the Tóugǔ pass, looking for his targets. One of the things about flight that he never got tired of were the amazing views of the foreign valleys bellow.

The avian had noted that between seven and eight thirty PM was the best time to admire them. The gleaming sun would turn a beautiful shade of red and transform the white clouds into vibrant oranges, yellows, and purples. If the Sights were simply extraordinary, than he would sometimes skip his usual calligraphy sessions and paint what he had seen. This evening, Dark clouds and heavy showers reduced visibility to a minimum. This would make scouting a whole lot harder for the avian master.

He started to descend to an altitude of only 75 feet. He saw nothing but the wet, dirt path for about a minute. He began to wonder if mantis's calculations were off. At that moment, a flash of lightning briefly revealed the shadows of what seemed to be a large group of travelers. That was all crane needed before he was able to identify the number of warriors and how they would advance tactically. The avian then returned to his leading comrade.

"Tigress! This is going to be harder than we thought. The enemy convoy has about thirty armed defenders both in front and back of the wagon they are using to transport the stones. They also have four heavily armored rhinos and about ten dead shot wolves with crossbows."

"I'm not sure we are capable of taking down a force this large by ourselves." He said unsure of himself.

"Well, what do you suppose we do?" Tigress replied.

" since the wagon is covered from all sides, I would say that once mantis and monkey stop the convoy, we use the cover of the storm to pick off members of the group until we can successfully reach the cart." "And how do you suppose we do that?" she asked. "Well, you might think I'm crazy, but this might be the only way we get the stones." Crane replied.

**Meanwhile… Bandits P.O.V.**

"Geez, man. This place gives me the creeps." One of the wolves whispered to his companion. "Yea, no kidding. They call this place the Tóugǔ pass for a reason." the wolf beside eyed him curiously. "Why is that?" "I've heard stories from the locals in this area that something evil lurks in the shadows. "He said. " More evil than us?" the wolf responded with a mischievous grin. His companion sent him a look full of daggers. "Listen." He said harshly. "I'm not evil. I actually need this money. Unlike you I have children to feed." "Whatever." The wolf next to him replied as if he could care less."anyway, I guess according to the locals, that anyone who glimpses upon this beast dies before they can react." He said tensely. "Ha! And what exactly does this spooky demon look like?" his companion responded sarcastically. "Like A dragon, but without the magnificence or splendor. It is completely black, has the wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion." "C'mon, Sounds like a myth to me. I can't believe you're still scared of little fables that ar-"

CRASH!

"What the heck was that!?" The two wolves yelled in unison. Their voices blocked out by the yells of panic and frustration ahead of them. " Get them out of there!" "it's blocking the path! We need more men!" "Get a medic!" the frantic voices screamed.

Two of the rhinos behind them ran up to help with the situation. One of the wolves stopped them. "What's going on up there!?" he anxiously asked." I think a boulder just rolled up onto our men up front! The rhino replied ''Its blocking the path now!"

Thunder crashed and the rain came pouring down even harder.

"Once we get this cleared up we better find shelter from this storm!" the rhino shouted as he continued to run to the face of the caravan.

Screams now came from the back of the convoy.

"Luó! Where'd you go!? Luó, you better not be playing games with me this time!"

"HOLY S-"

His voice abruptly stopped, and all that could be heard now was the distant thunder and the confused voices of the convoy members.

The attention was now directed to the center of the caravan.

"What is that thing!?" the panicked wolves howled as they pointed to the skies.

The lightning revealed a large shape that could only be mistaken as the body of some large bird.

On the lower half came what looked like a large felines arms and legs.

It soared down yet again and grabbed another panicked wolf from its position and into the clouds.

"Well? Don't just stand there like idiots, DO SOMETHING!" their commanding officer screamed. "ARCHERS, TAKE YOUR POSITIONS! READY! AIM! FIRE!" He howled.

**Meanwhile… Tigress and Crane's P.O.V.**

"You are crazy!" Tigress shouted through the wind and rain. "Yea, but my plan worked!" Crane shouted back. "Who would've thought that by you carrying me through the clouds to ambush the enemy from the air would've worked!?" She questioned. Obviously I did! The avian chuckled. "Crane! We have arrows!" She called out.

"Tigress, land in those tress over there and assault the enemy, I'll take care of those arrows!" Crane said. With that he released the tiger from his grasp. He now eyed the wall of arrows that approached him. "WINGS OF JUSTICE!" He screamed before sending a mighty explosion of wind hurling towards the arrows that confronted him. They were immediately redirected towards the ones who had shot them.

Meanwhile, tigress had regrouped with the five right outside of the caravans main perimeter. "Great diversion with the boulder up front" tigress said to mantis and monkey. The duo smiled. "Our pleasure." They replied simultaneously. Po glanced around. "Hey, where's Crane?" he asked, noticing the avian masters absence. "I think crane is sending these bandits a message." Tigress replied tonelessly. Just as those words came out of her mouth, a rain of arrows fell upon the enemy convoy wounding fifteen.

"Alright here's our chance, attack now!" tigress shouted. The five rushed onto the battlefield, and began to assault the enemy. Tigress delivered a series of bone crushing kicks to the rhinos, rendering them unconscious. Beside her, Viper was tripping up the wolf bandits allowing Po to fight them with ease. Then, you had monkey, who would toy with his opponents while mantis would take them down while they were distracted.

"Po, grab the thunder stones!" yelled viper.

"Don't worry, I got this under control" Po said coolly. He delivered a double backfist combo to a line of wolves that defended the main wagon. They all went down with effortlessness.

"Geez, that was… too easy." Po said chuckling to himself.

The panda, with no more enemies guarding the wagon (which he had to admit was odd) looked inside, checking for the symbol of thunder.

Inside, was a clutter of texts and writings stacked next to a pile of stolen goods and expensive silks. Other objects included a large cat statue, boxes of food and liquors, and a black powder handbook.

But the stones, still missing, were nowhere to be seen. Po was perplexed. If they weren't here, where were they?

Unbelievable. He and his friends had traveled miles and fought fearlessly, only to find they had attacked the wrong group? He looked back. His friends, still in combat, were trying to hold off the enemy for as long as possible. But with every strike, another enemy had risen to fight.

The panda turned to leave, to help his comrades, and forget this unnecessary mission, when a glint of light caught his eye.

Something silver was coming from the statue.

That's when he noticed it. Clutched in the stone figures' hand, was a velvet sack, containing what looked to be a silver stone.

Po immediately was overflown with hope, as he climbed back into the wagon and approached the dark statue.

But suddenly, the panda stopped.

He stared at the statue, mystified at the creepy liveliness of its presence. With every step he dared take, it seemed as though the cat would clutch the stones tighter, and tighter. The hope he was feeling, was replaced with uneasiness "This statue isn't moving… Right?" he thought nervously. Silence… the only thing that could be heard was the thunder and sound of rain. Po gained enough confidence to speak up. "I don't know if you're in here, but if you leave now, you wont get hurt. The only thing that followed his voice was the familiar silence he had just heard. Was he imagining things? Probably, he did have quite the imagination, but he never assumed he would be talking to statues…

Po tensed up again. Because this time, he knew it wasn't his imagination.

a solid but hushed Voice filled with hatred and anguish echoed into the darkness.

"Or… You may leave, and you won't be slaughtered." The dark figure answered.

Po knew he was dealing with a confident foe, but this one seemed different. The mere presence of this cat gave sinister a new name.

"I hope you know that when you mess with the panda, You get-" The shadowy figure cut him off.

"Wrong answer." The cat said harshly.

Po thought otherwise. "Your going down buddy" he said boldly. The panda sprinted at his opponent in an attempt to grab the stones.

"FEET OF FURY!" Yelled Po.

He delivered multiple rapid-fire kicks to his enemy. The figure in return, countered each of these, and grabbed Po by the neck, hurling him out of the wagon, onto the ground.

The five were still fighting, and it seemed there were more enemies now. Po assumed reinforcements had arrived during his dispute with his opponent.

The panda got off the ground, and faced his foe. However, he was nowhere to be seen.

"AAAAARGH!" A knife was forced around Po's neck, and would've killed him, if it weren't for the panda's quick actions with his hands. The knife was becoming exceedingly close, and it was only a couple inches from his flesh. "Po! Hold on to something!" Shouted the avian who had returned from his previous scouting mission. The panda hurriedly elbowed his opponent in the stomach and held on to the ground for dear life. The master then reared his wings and shouted "KA KAW!" as he propelled a massive gust of wind towards his foe.

Whilst Po struggled to keep his grip on the ground, The cat was blown off of his feet, and flung into the trunk of a tree.

The cloth that was concealing his face unraveled, revealing a young snow leopard with a jagged scar that ran down the side of his face.

Crane glanced back at Po. "Go give the Tigress the thunder stones, I'll take care of him." He said as he gestured to the leopard in front of him before taking flight.

The avian soared above him, before plunging to the ground, talons outstretched. Prepared for this, the leopard blocked the anticipated attack and countered it with a series of concrete punches.

Crane, also skilled in hand to hand combat, used his powerful wings to deflect all punches thrown by his opponent. The master assaulted with agility and swiftness, Just as he was trained at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy. Knocking the young cat into one of his enemy comrades.

"I swear, If you even consider touching one of my friends again, You're as good as dead." The avian said severely.

The leopard spat out some blood and chuckled. "Of course! He responded merrily. Why would I ever want to touch your friends again if I could just do THIS every time?"

Upon saying those words, the cat cranked back an arrow into his crossbow and fired, narrowly missing the avian master and hitting a tree. "You Bastard!" Crane shouted. He sprang into action before prepping himself for the next projectile that would be sent hurling his way.

This time, crane was ready for it. Everything slowed down, and the arrow seemed to approach gradually. He leapt into the air, grasped the dart with his talons underneath him, flipped forward, and using the same momentum that it was shot with, launched the arrow back towards the shooter. The leopard did not expect the arrow he had shot at the bird to come flying back to him with such speed. He didn't move in time, and the arrow was sent straight into his thigh.

"AAAAAARGH!" The cat screamed in agony as he crashed to the ground. The crimson blood began to trickle from the wound site forming a small puddle beneath him. "DAMMIT!" he cried through gritted teeth before glaring at the Avian in pure hatred. "Well?!" he shouted angrily "Are you going kill me?!"

Crane shook his head. "You see, I'm not like you. I don't kill." The cat was perplexed by this. "Wait! Didn't you say that I would be good as dead if I touched your friends again?" The avian chuckled to himself. "Well, you never actually touched my friends considering that you failed to do so… You have fun pulling that thing out of your leg." With that, the avian left him to his rather unpleasant endeavor.

The leopard was absolutely calm on the outside. You could even call it subtle, but on the inside, there was a typhoon of fire and hell.

His eyes darted to the avian that had rejoined his comrades. "I wont kill you bird." He whispered wrathfully. "You have proven yourself well." His eyes then narrowed on the tiger beside him. He smiled menacingly. "But I will not hesitate to kill your friend."

He glanced down at the wound in his leg and groaned before unsheathing his knife. He set the blade in his mouth before reluctantly gripping the arrow in his thigh, the slightest movement causing unbearable pain. "well, here goes nothing." He said shakily. With that he began to wrench the projectile out of his limb.

Meanwhile, crane, who had just regrouped with Tigress, was aiding her in the assault against three masked wolves who seemed oddly familiar.

"Crane!" the tiger shouted, "Blue dragon!" the avian nodded affirmatively. The five always had "code names" for their attacks to prevent their foes from learning them.

Crane flew low and extended his right leg to the ground. In turn, tigress grabbed it, before the avian made three flips in the air before releasing tigress and sending her flying towards her attackers with tremendous speed. The force of her impact was so great, that the foes were sent hurling through trees and into boulders.

"Just like the good old days". Crane whispered to himself. He remembered back to when there was no Furious five, just him and Tigress, against the world. He was only fresh out of the LE-DA kung Fu academy, A young master, with newfound confidence.

The smooth sound of something slicing through the air at high speed interrupted his memory

Without thinking, the avian screamed at the top of his lungs. "TIGRESS WATCH OUT!"

Crane couldn't stop the arrow this time. It was too late for that.

The only thing that could be done was the last idea that would ever appear in his mind. He knew that once he was committed, there was no going back. But there were no options left.

He leapt in front of the tiger at the last possible moment, stopping the arrow dead in its tracks.

Tigress unaware of what had just happened whirled around only to find crane collapsed on the ground and not moving.

"Crane?" No response. "Crane!?" once again the silence prevailed.

Tigress lowered herself onto her knees and gently turned the avian onto his back, only to find that his once snow white chest had turned blood red. "No." tigress whispered to herself in disbelief. "Dear god no!"


	2. Choices

**Okay guys, so I'm glad I got some feedback and I would like to reply to those reviewers. Thanks for your support:**

**TheWhisperingWarrior: As my first reviewer, I would like to thank you for your kindness in the review, your support helps. :) **

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**Alright, please enjoy,**

"Crane stay with me." Tigress plead. "Please don't leave us now." The avian was now coughing blood and shaking violently.

"t-tigress…" Crane said weakly. "If I d-don't make it out of this, I w-want you to- DONT TALK LIKE THAT! YOU'RE GOING TO BE OKAY!"

Po, who had just noticed his injured pal, became extremely nervous and began to fight his way towards him. When the panda finally caught a glimpse of the crumpled bird, He couldn't hold it in. "CRANE?! NO!" he screamed in horror, causing the rest of the five to stop what they were doing and observe the ongoing dilemma

Crane could feel the tears begin to well up in his eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Tigress." He sputtered. "But if it's my t-time than its m-"tigress hushed him once again. "Please crane… Don't do this." The tiger could feel herself shaking nearly as much as the avian in front of her.

"Tigress!" Mantis yelled as he approached her with the rest of the five. "We need to get Crane out of here and apply pressure to that wound."

"I'm on it!" Po yelled anxiously. With that he hoisted the limp bird over his shoulders, carful to avoid any contact with the wound site, and carried him to safety. This was behind a large boulder where the five could more easily assess the damage without being attacked.

"Set him down here Po." Mantis said trying to remain calm. "Alright, *pant* here you *pant* go." Po replied exhaustedly.

"Geez Po what took so much out of you?" Viper asked. Po, who was now sitting, replied. "Crane, he's *pant* pretty *pant* heavy." he said nearly ready to pass out.

"What? No he's not! You just don't do enough strength training you idiot!" Monkey exclaimed irritably.

"Quiet you two!" yelled mantis annoyed.

The insect glanced back at the massive pool of blood where the avian was originally laying, and then the trail that was leading up to where they were now.

"My god." Mantis looked at tigress. "if he keeps loosing blood like this, than… Crane's not going to make it.

"Well, there has to be some way we can help him!" we've only lost one member of the Jade Palace and that was Master Oogway. I'm not losing anyone else. Not on my watch."

"There is one way." Mantis replied unsure of himself. "I've been working on a new acupuncture technique that might just save his life. The problem is, I've only been working on it for about two weeks.

"Yea, so what's the problem with that?" Po asked urgently. Mantis turned to face the panda. "The problem is that if I happen to do this wrong, it could send crane into Cardiac Arrest." Replied the insect dully.

"But if I do this correctly, then I can reduce blood flow to the wound site therefore allowing us t- what is cardiac arrest again?" Interrupted Po.

Po, I swear, If we keep have to dealing with your nonsense then we can't keep taking you on missions!" Mantis shouted angrily.

Po was fed up with his comrades' reactions, and decided to speak up. "Why, take me along then?!" he retaliated. " I guess you're the stupid one for taking me on a mission that I would get in the way of anyway!"

Everyone stared at the panda in disbelief of what they had just witnessed. It wasn't like Po to react in an aggressive manner.

"No one ever gives me credit for the good deeds I do. Sure every once in a while I'll get a, "well done Po." Or a, "thanks for that Po. " But do you really mean it? NO!"

Mantis was furious now. "You take what you have for granted you good for nothing-"

"Guys! Shut up!" yelled Viper. "I hope you haven't forgotten that we're in a battle zone with an injured comrade!"

"Viper is right." Agreed monkey, who had finally decided to speak up. "Our attention should be focused on crane, not impractical conflicts."

Mantis glanced back at Po. "I'll deal with you later." Muttered the heated insect "Ditto" replied the panda. They glared into each other's eyes for a few moments.

Crane, even with his astounding loss of blood still had consciousness. "Even f-five minutes after I'm down, c-chaos brakes out a-among you." The avian warrior chuckled, occasionally stopping to cough blood. "looks like I was t-the only one holding you guys t-together."

The five took a moment to consider the reality in crane's words. He was what you could call a talk first punch second kind of bird, who would avoid and settle fights between the five at all costs to ensure that their relations would remain strong.

"I've made my decision." Mantis said grimly. " I believe that I'm to inexperienced to preform this specific acupuncture technique. I'm very sorry crane, but, I can't risk sending you into Cardiac arrest."

Crane nodded, then rested his head on the ground. It was at that moment that he noticed the absence of one of his most prized possessions. "W-where's my hat?" Viper decided to speak up for this one. "Crane, please don't talk… I promise we'll find it later. Right now you just need to rest." The avian was now glancing around franticly for his hat, as if it was the most precious thing in the world. "No, I-I must find it, it's t-to important, p-please…"

His eyes began to falter and fall shut. Before closing completely.

The five just stared in bewilderment. Their minds completely stunned at the series of events that had taken place in just a single day. Of course, there were the events at the battle against Shen's forces at Gongmen, but at least they had all made it out alive.

Could this all really be happening? Was Crane really going to die?

Tigress looked around at her friends. She never really considered them as friends, (except for Po.) Just mere acquaintances. But now, to her, they meant more than family. "No one's dying today. Everyone… grab one of Crane's limbs and hold it to the ground.

Without hesitating, the five complied with these orders and braced themselves for the inevitable.

"Um, Tigress, what do you exactly have in mind here?" Mantis asked questioningly. She just stared at the ground. "You guys are going to wanna hold Crane tight for this one. I have a special medical solution from the Lotus Temple of Diànyuán." She said as she pulled out a small vile containing orange liquid.

Po was completely astonished. "Did you just say the Lotus Temple of Diànyuán? That place was destroyed over 400 years ago! How did you manage get such a thing?"

Tigress smiled softly. "Well, I guess one of Shifu's great ancestors was a student there, and this medical solution was passed down ever sense. I achieved it from Shifu when he took me in from the Bao Gu Orphanage. He told me that if I ever attained serious injury, just to apply this and everything would be okay.

"That's great, but why are we holding crane down?" Monkey asked. Tigress lost her smile. "Because… It burns like fire." Monkey didn't reply, he just tightened his grip a bit.

"There's no telling that this will save crane's life, but the solution will disinfect the wound and help relax his muscles in the long-run. This could buy us some precious time."

Tigress looked at the bottle. "Well, here goes nothing." With that, she uncorked the cap and began to apply the liquid. Upon Contact, the solution became searing hot, and evaporated off the wound.

The Avians' breathing began to drag out into long exaggerated gasps for air. His muscles were contracting and tightening, offering some resistance to those who held him down. Suddenly, His eyes sprang open.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH! OH MERCY PLEASE, IT BURNS!" Crane was now struggling with all his might, and was ready to fight to the death if it meant escaping the overwhelming pain that washed over him. "Crane! Calm down!" Viper plead with him. All that he could get out was " I-IT'S UNBEARABLE!"

The solution was practically boiling off the wound and was now sending steam into the air. The avian was kicking and flapping his wings wildly, his eyes we darting franticly from here to there, and the five knew that they wouldn't be able to hold him much longer. "L-LEAVE ME ALONE! AAAAAAAARGH!" he screamed.

His eyes shut tightly and his muscles sent one last violent jerk when suddenly, they went slack. His eyes relaxed and his breathing slowed to a reasonable pace, and Tigress knew, the solution had done its job. "We need to get moving, and fast. The fluid that I just applied will relax Crane's muscles and disinfect the wound, but it won't stop the Bleeding. We will proceed as planned by rallying at the small southeastern village on our map."

The five nodded in unison, all except for Monkey. He was staring at the map with an awkward expression on his face. "Tigress, I have something you might wanna know." He said whilst still observing their coordinates. "And what might that be." She replied tonelessly. Monkey looked up. " I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the village is only about a mile away. The bad news is that to get there, we have to go over…" Monkey turned around and pointed. "That". Where his finger followed, the ground rose slightly, and suddenly dropped off. Monkey then faced the five and grimly said. "The ancient cliffs of Bù guī lù."

As the optimist of the group, (other than Crane) Po had to chime in with his thought. "Well, It's no big deal right? I guess we can just go the extra length around the cliffs and we'll be at the village in no time." Mantis was staring at the panda's exceedingly large belly and shaking his head. "Yea right, we'll be there in no time." He sarcastically muttered under his breath.

Tigress, who had decided to scout the fives' given surroundings. Decided to take a glimpse over the boulder that concealed their location. "Guys, I'm afraid going around these cliffs isn't an option." Everyone anxiously stood up. "But… But why." Po nervously questioned. The tiger sat down. "How bout you take a look for yourself." She replied whilst lowering her head.

Compliantly, the five began to slowly peek their heads over the top.

They were surrounded. About 45 armed wolves, rhinos, and sheep were slowly approaching their position. This time, the enemy knew who they were fighting against. This would be a new battle, one that the five couldn't win.

Viper slithered away from the boulder and sat up against her fellow comrade. "Tigress, we're surrounded and outnumbered. We're not trained to fight a force this large by ourselves. For the first time, we have to surrender." "AND THEN WHAT?! DO WE JUST GIVE UP THE THUNDER STONES, OUR REPUTATIONS AS KUNG FU MASTERS, AND PROBABLY OUR VERY LIVES?! Tigress was standing now, her eyes blazing like the fire of a dragon.

Viper was struggling to keep herself calm, but she managed to keep her cool. "Well, if we don't surrender, but don't fight, than what do you suppose we do?" Tigress, as well as the rest of the five went silent. All that could be heard was the eerie crunch of the leaves, underneath the feet of their armed attackers.

"We jump."

"What?" the five said in perfect unison.

Tigress looked up. "You all heard me." The group just starred. "are you insane? That's suicide!" Mantis said outlandishly. "You need to completely understand the circumstances that we have r-" "HEY! THERE THEY ARE!" The smooth but icy voice of an enemy wolf rang through the air, alerting the rest of his squad of their presence.

"That's It! We have to jump now!" Tigress ordered. She hoisted Crane up onto her shoulders, some of the warm blood splashing onto her vest. "Lets go!"

The five accepted their given fate, and ran along side their leading comrade. For a moment nothing could be heard, Just the sound of a heartbeat. They didn't know who's, but it echoed louder than the most resonant Gong. They began to wonder If everyone heard this before they were about to die.

Together they listened, together they ran, and together they jumped.

**Don't worry guys! This isn't the end! And don't worry, Mantis and Po will resolve their differences, It's not like Po to stay angry.**

**Thanks for the support so far and PLEASE REVIEW. It really does help.**

**Thanks.**


	3. Memories

**Okay, before I say anything about the story, I have to mention this. I have a friend whose brother was recently admitted into the Intensive Care Unit of Children's Mercy. He has been diagnosed with meningitis. Please keep him in your thoughts.**

**Hey, I got some reviews and now it's time for a shout out!**

**Veleticj: I got your PM and I'm glad you're following the story. Thanks for reviewing!**

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**Master Crane: I liked your update to FH, and I hope you keep updating. Thanks for keeping up with my story!**

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**Okay, please review, I would like to know what you think of this story. And sorry for taking awhile to update, It's hard for me to find time to write while balancing school and sports. **

"Good match Jien," Mei Ling chuckled. "You almost had me back there." Crane couldn't help to smile. After all, it was the mountain lions' great compassion that had inspired him to show his true colors. Thanks to her, he was now one of the most skilled warriors (other than Mei Ling herself) at the Lee Dai Academy.

Crane had just finished his last sparring match with the feline and had decided to retreat to their dorms together. As they were walking, the avian glanced over at his friend. She was wearing her usual, but completely stunning emerald green vest, overlain with black and gold, along with her pitch-black gloves, that never seemed to come off. She would always have her bamboo staff at the ready, wherever or whenever it was. But to top it all off was her beautiful blue eyes. They were always full of optimism and pride, and would comfort, even at the darkest of moments.

The avian would never admit that he actually had a crush on the feline, But in his heart he knew, Somehow, she was the one. "You okay Jien? You've been starring at me for the past minute and a half." Crane shook his head and blushed. "Oh, um… sorry, I…um " he stammered. "Oh chill out it's not that big of a deal." Mei ling said jokingly. "Um… yea sure." Crane smiled.

"So, you gonna show at the blood moon festival tonight?" Mei Ling asked casually. Crane stopped, with a puzzled expression. "The blood moon festival?" the feline beside him almost lost her balance. "Wait, you've never been? Are you serious!?" the avian shook his head. "Mei, you know I've only been a student here for only seven months. I was never allowed to participate in any of the events as a janitor." The mountain cat paused, reminiscing about her first days of meeting the young avian.

She grinned and playfully slugged him in the arm. "Well how bout you come to my dorm for a bit and I can explain to you the significance of this ceremony. "Sounds good to me." Crane replied appreciatively.

Together they strode into the large stone Barracks that housed most of the Lee Dai inhabitants. "Alright listen closely," instructed Mei Ling. "If you ever need me, my room is on the second story and has a small ML etched in the door. And you don't have to knock, just go right in, I will usually be there." Crane nodded affirmatively.

They strolled through two more sets of hallways until the mountain lion stopped in front of a small bamboo entrance. "Okay we're here. She reached into a small pouch located on the inside of her vest and pulled out a small wooden key. Without hesitating, she pressed it into the lock on her door.

Suddenly there was a small click, and the door flew open. It was a small room, but was neatly collected in everyway. To the left of the dorm, there was a shelf, containing the mountain lions' Lee Dai Studies (Other than Kung Fu, Students of the academy were required to learn the basic history, literature and mathematics of Ancient China). To the right of the room was a window that allowed for a clear view of the academy courtyard. The light from this window illuminated the dark lavender sheets that covered her bed, which had been tidily folded.

Mei Ling traveled to her bedside where she then sat down. "Okay, Jien. You really know nothing about the blood moon festival?" The avian just shook his head. The feline thought for a moment. "Have you ever heard of the Jīnlóng dài?" This time, Crane picked up. "Yea, I've heard of that group. It was a unit containing twenty of China's greatest masters. I learned about them in war history."

The mountain lion stretched onto her bed. "Well… you see, there was another group. This one, the Àn yàn, was lead by five of the darkest criminal legends in the history of China. They single handedly forged a rebellion against the empire so massive, it nearly wiped out half of the nations' inhabitants." The avian's beak dropped slightly. You said… half of china?" The feline sat upright. "Your ears are working fine Jien. Anyway, the Àn yàn was confronted by the Jīnlóng dài, along with the imperial army. The enemy group was eventually defeated, but left only three of the twenty Jīnlóng dài masters alive. So, to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to their country, we celebrate the blood moon festival where hope, always conquers fear."

"Wow." the astonished avian answered. "This is a pretty big deal." Mei Ling stood up and smiled. "You know… I'm kind of surprised that no one ever told you about this huge event in our history. I would think that your mother would let you partake in the festival.

Crane smiled weakly. "well, lets just say she's not the biggest fan of kung fu."

The mountain lion, surprised by this, decided to question further. "What about your father, did he approve of the ancient art?" The avian's smile immediately disappeared as he moved his wing to rub the back of his neck.

_Maybe he just didn't hear me._ "Well? Did your father approve of Kung-" Crane instantly cut the feline off. DON'T EVEN TALK ABOUT MY…" the avian stopped, as if he couldn't grasp the word. JUST DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT….. PERSON."

Mei Ling, who was fairly worried about her friend's strange change in tone, had displayed obvious signs of concern that the avian picked up.

"Mei, I'm sorry. It's Just… that my dad, he…"

"Crane! You in here?" The door flew open, leaving a black furred wolf standing in the entryway. "Dé lǔ? What are you doing here? The mountain lion asked somewhat irritably. The canine pulled a letter out from his back pant pocket. "I have something for- Buddy! There you are!" Crane smiled a bit. "Hey… um, can you leave me and Mei, alone for a second, I kinda have to tell her something."

"Well I have something to tell you, and trust me, you're gonna want to hear this one. The wolf responded as he shook the letter in his hand.

The avian rolled his eyes. "What's more important about that letter than what I have to say right now?" "See for yourself." Dé lǔ gave a sly grin before tossing the message to him.

Crane shook his head slightly before reading the text. As his eyes moved down the paper, the avians' eyes widened, and his beak dropped slightly. Mei Ling, who was quite interested as well, wished to know what her friend had received. "Jien, what is it? Who's it from?"

The avian, completely bewildered, set the letter down and replied, "It's from Master Shifu of the Jade Palace… I've been accepted."

**End of Flashback**

Crane woke with a start, only to slump back down into his bed because of the extreme pain in his chest. Wait, pain? Shouldn't he be dead? The avian glanced around. He was in his dormitory, and was completely bandaged around his chest and waist. Only small specks of blood showed past them. When Crane awoke, it must have been pretty violently, because the next thing he knew, Po and Monkey had entered his room.

"Hey Buddy, how you been?" Po asked anxiously. The avian tensed up a bit. "Oh, I've never been better." He said quietly before forcing a smile. "How you been?" Monkey smiled and replied, "If aimlessly jumping off cliffs is good then I think we're pretty well. "Not exactly." Said Tigress as she walked in. Immediately, Crane noticed a difference.

"Tigress, what happened to your vest?" The tiger was currently wearing a black vest with golden silk engravings. "Crane I don't think you realize how much blood you lost. My vest was near entirely covered in dark red. We had to throw it out."

Crane remembered, everything was a blur and everything he saw was either white, red, or both.

"We also recovered some information on the bandit group we were attacked by. I guess they're a breakoff of some rebel group called the Àn yàn.

"WAIT WHAT?!" Crane yelled as he violently sat upright, causing unbearable bursts of pain. "ARGHHHHHH!" He screamed before collapsing into his bed again.

"Crane take it easy!" Po yelled before holding him down. "But, they…they were… how are they… what's happening." The avian stuttered. "Calm down buddy, what's the big deal?" Monkey asked concerned. Tigress however shut it down before anything was answered. "Guys, I think we should let crane rest, we'll have him explain everything in the morning."

Monkey knew he couldn't argue with her, so he agreed. "get well soon alright." He said on the way out the door. Po followed shortly after leaving a homemade calligraphy drawing (that could use some serious tweaking.) by his bedside.

As soon as she was sure they were gone, Tigress then kneeled down next to the avain's bed and whispered, "Crane, I don't say this a lot and this isn't just for what happened today, but for everything you've ever done. Thank you."

Crane smiled and replied, "Don't mention It… Ever."

**Thanks for everything guys and Please Review, It really does help.**


	4. Recovery

**Happy Holidays Everyone!**

**I'm really glad that this story has gained a few loyal followers and I would like to give thanks to everyone who has reviewed and supported me.**

**Thanks to:**

**Veleticj: Thanks, I liked doing the flashback, and If you read my profile page, your guess is correct.**

**Animatedfangirl21101: I'm very glad that you have kept following me on this story, and I'd like to thank you for all the support and kind reviews you have given me.**

**TheWhisperingWarrior: Thanks for all your support. I'm glad you saw what I did at the end.**

**JubJub 0250: I'm happy to see you reviewing the story again! Thanks for the kind review.**

**Reidak Tor Pre Vizsla: I'm happy to see your enjoying the story and thanks for your support.**

**Master Crane: Thank you very much for all the support you have given me. Your story was one of the first fics I ever read, and it's lead me here. So I'd like to thank you for everything you've done to support my story. **

**Lola3934: Another kind review. I'm happy that you like my story! You're awesome!**

**Thanks for everything guys, and enjoy your holidays!**

The next few days were riddled with painful recovery for the avian master. Simple tasks such as walking and eating were excruciating. However, even with the intense agony that clouded his mind, Crane couldn't forget what tigress had said to him the night he had regained consciousness.

Her voice rang through his thoughts, blocking out any other_. "We recovered some information on the bandit group we were attacked by. I guess they're a breakoff of some rebel group called the Àn Yàn."_

It had been four days since the incident at the Tóugǔ pass. As Crane prepared himself for yet another unbearable night, there was a sharp knock at the door.

He let out an annoyed sigh. "Po you've already visited me four times today and I'm not really feeling that great. You know I haven't gotten much sleep anyway".

"Would you mind telling me why that is?" A deep voice responded, unmistakably Shifu's.

"Master Shifu! I'm so sorry, I didn't know that you were here-" The avian stopped talking and put his wing to his chest.

"It still hurts doesn't it?" said a concerned Shifu. Crane looked up and put his wings down. "It's nothing." The red panda shook his head and walked over to him. "look Crane, I need to talk with you."

"I'm listening." Replied the avian.

Shifu sat down, and began fidgeting with his staff. "I was talking with the rest of the five last night. They told me that the mission was successful… and quite unsuccessful. Crane couldn't help but laugh. "Well, you can say that again." He coughed a bit.

Shifu was now looking at the ground. "Why… Why did you do it?" The avian looked at his master with confusion. "Well, what do you mean?" He replied.

Shifu stood and looked at him. "I never could have taught you this. No training would ever prepare you for it."

"What?" Crane was a bit nervous. "Master, I don't understand"

But the red panda just stood there, before doing something that the avian thought he would never witness. Shifu smiled at him.

"Crane," he said, "You have mastered the art of sacrifice. You were willing to pay the ultimate price to save someone who maters to you. And I couldn't have taught you this, Sacrifice is something that you have to learn on your own."

Shifu's smile slowly faded away. " It was just like Róngyù… The battle of the broken swords… Overwhelmed by the Àn Yàn."

Crane's eyes grew wide. "Did you say the Àn Yàn?" the bird thought for a moment. "They all connect… but how?" the old master decided to speak up. "Crane, we all know your mother, but I need to talk about your father.

They avian remained calm, but his eyes were filled with hate. "Shifu, I don't talk about my father because he-

The door burst open. "MASTER SHIFU! MASTER SHIFU!" Zeng, the palace messenger, erupted through the door holding a silver scroll. "Master Shifu, I have just returned from the Lee Dai Academy… She says she'll come."

"Who?" asked Crane. Shifu took the scroll from the panting goose.

He then looked at the avian. "Crane, after Tigress and Tai Lung, you were the third master to join the Jade Palace. You both were young teens at that time. I trained you both, in the physical and mental art of kung fu.

Crane smiled a bit. "yeah I remember. Tigress and I, the most unlikely of pals."

"But you were the most unlikely of pals!" Shifu exclaimed. "When you and Tigress formed the Terrific two, there was nothing that could stop you!"

The red panda paused, and sighed. "You remember the day that the sunset shined between the valley walls, when you flew Tigress onto the palace roof and gazed into her eyes."

Crane blushed slightly. "um…uh…. You… you saw that?"

Shifu chuckled a bit. "You know how hard it is to hide something from me." Crane gulped and nodded before the master could continue.

"When you saw tigress, her eyes were filled with pure friendship. But in your eyes, there was reluctance. I watched as tigress smiled a smile I had never seen before, something that was true to the heart and had meaning."

Shifu handed the scroll to the avian. "There was something that was holding you back from taking your relation with Tigress to the next level. Or someone."

Shifu stared directly into crane's eyes. "You knew that you wouldn't see this person for a very long time, and that no one could replace the grand bond between you." He paused. "Crane, Mei Ling is coming to the Jade Palace."

The avian froze. Mei Ling, the one responsible for his reputation as a master, the one who he had not seen in so long, the one he so dearly cared for, was visiting the Jade Palace?

Shifu stood up. "You get some rest now, and some real rest. I placed several medicinal herbs on your nightstand so that the pain doesn't wake you. The master then opened the door. "I know you've been through a lot, and still have to think about it, but try to sleep."

Shifu smiled again before closing the door. "We have a long day tomorrow."

**The Following Day**

Crane awoke to an icy breeze coming through the open window. He yawned before stepping off his bed to reapply his bandages.

The avian then approached the window, only to be momentarily blinded by the flash of white. The entire valley was covered in a blanket of crystal snow.

In the hall, he heard shouts and the sound of impacts against the wall. Crane just shook his head. "oh what have they gotten into this time…" He walked over to his door and opened it.

SMACK!

As the snow dripped off of his beak and hat, Crane stared at Po and Monkey, each holding a dozen snowballs and eyes wide as saucers.

However, the avian remained perfectly calm as he scooped all of the remaining snow, into his wings. Crane smirked as he rocketed the snowball right into Po's face.

While Po, collapsed onto the ground, Monkey broke into hysterics. Crane began laughing too, and before he knew it, all three were standing in the hall, laughing.

Crane went back into his room and cleaned himself off, before heading into the dining hall. Mantis and Viper were making moon cakes for breakfast while Tigress was seated at the table, studying the ancient fire moves. He walked over and sat next to her. "Hey Tigress, what's new."

"the snow. Haven't seen it in a year." She replied without taking her eyes off her scroll. The avian just rolled his eyes. "have you seen Shifu?" the tiger looked up. "I think he's in the hall of heroes, why?"

"I just need to talk to him about some things." He replied before exiting the room.

As he walked out into the cold, his talons left footprints in the frost that covered the ground. He stopped and gazed over the snow-covered valley that he had protected for so many years.

Crane smiled and thought of all the families down below, he never had the family that he wanted, Mei Ling was the closest thing to family that he ever had.

He sighed and walked over to the hall of heroes, before grasping the door handles.

However, before he could pull them open. A black glove appeared on his shoulder. "It's been a long time crane. A very, very long time." Said a smooth feminine voice.

The avian whirled around and embraced the mountain lion in a passionate hug. "Mei Ling! It's been so long!… Too long." She smiled as a small tear trickled down her face. " I…I was so worried. When I heard that you had been injured I didn't know what to do.

Crane hugged her closer. I'm okay Mei Ling… I'm okay.

**That's all for now guys! Hope you liked!**

**Remember to review as it keeps me going, and you will be mentioned in the next shout out!**

**Thank you.**


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